Service box structure



Jan. 25, 1966 J, E, lsAACS SERVICE BOX STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 14, 1964 m W 15 m A .6 E. N H O lv BY M) ATTORNEY Jan. 25, 1966 J. E. lsAAcs 3,230,844

SERVICE BOX STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 14, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY QE 54m/x ATTORNEY United States Patent() 3,230,844 'I'SERVICE BOX STRUCTURE John E. Isaacs, 1337 Cooper Drive, Lexington, Ky. Filed Feb. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 345,047 2 Claims. (Cl. 94'-34) This invention relates to an improved service box structure of the type used in the distribution and control of water or gas and more particularly to an improved cover plate and its mounting upon the service box housing.

Such boxes are customarily embedded in the ground externally of the building being served and are equipped with a cover plate through which access is provided for visual inspection or manual operations by authorized persons. Care must be exercised in the installation and design of such boxes so that they are tamper-proof and are capable of withstanding abusive treatment. Moreover, they must provide selective accessibility to their interior at all times with a minimum of labor on the part of authorized persons, even though they are constantly subjected to weather conditions. It is a purpose of my invention to providea new and improved service box structure which satisfies these and other requirements.

An object of the invention is to provide a service box structure having a cover plate which may be readily inserted or removed from a housing by swinging the plate into and out of anchored engagement with that housing.

Another object is to provide a cover plate for a service box having an access lid which automatically lifts following an unlatching action by an authorized person.

Another object is to provide a cover plate for a service box having an access lid which latches in closed position following a stepping upon the same.

Another object is to provide a service box structure having an inexpensive cast concrete tile serving as an enclosure for the article to be housed and as a mount for a cover plate providing selective access to that article.

Gther objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds and when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a top plan View of the service, box structure with the cover plate installed in the housing and with the access lid in latched position and with parts of the housing and cover broken away.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and indicating diagrammatically a meter installed within the box.

FIG. 3 is a view of the upper portion of the box similar to FIG. 2 and showing the cover plate during the operation of mounting it upon the housing.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the bottom of the cover plate and to a larger scale.

FIG. 5 is a detail view partly in section and showing the second plunger in lid latching position.

FIG. 6 is a detail view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 2 and showing the key engaging the second plunger for unlatching the lid, and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the key.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the service box assembly includes a novel form of open-ended, one-piece housing, or tile having a continuous wall portion preferably formed in a generally rectangular shape with opposite side walls 10, 11 and 12, 13. This housing may conveniently comprise vibrated cast concrete made in a casting machine and the side walls of the housing accordingly have an incline suitable for removal of the formed housing from the casting machine. The upper end portion 14 of the housing has a greater thickness than the lower end portion 15 and this lower end portion is provided with a small downwardly projecting rim 16 on its Frice inner periphery. At the same time the upper end portion is provided with an inwardly off-set iiat ledge 17 extending about its inner periphery and against which the iiat cover plate,- later to be described, lies with a flush Contact. The depth of the off-set is substantially the same as the thickness of the plate, thus giving a generally iiat' upper surface to the assembled service box. The size and location of rim 16 is such as to nest snugly within the off-set of a 'similar housing in order' to permit a plurality of housings to be shipped, stored or mounted in nested arrangement. Also, when the depth of the excavation in which the service box is to be embedded requires a plurality of housings, such housings will be arranged one above the other and the cover plate will be installed upon the uppermost housing. The housing, moreover, is cast with comparative thin, frangible outer wall sections 18, 19 at the central part of the lower ends of the opposite walls 12 and 13 so that these weakened wall portions may be broken away at the time of installation of the housing about the' article to be serviced. In the illustration of the meter M in FIG. 2, for example, it will be understood that the holes 20 and 21 were formed by breaking out the wall portions 18 and 19 of the original housing.

As a significant feature, the housing is cast with a pair of confronting recesses 22 and 2'3 in walls 12 and 13 immediately below the ledge 17. These recesses have a substantial depth and are larger in cross section than the plate-anchoring plungers which occupy the recesses in the manner later t'o appear. Moreover, the recesses preferably are of non-circular cross section, such as a rectangular shape. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the cover plate 30, which may be formed of cast metal, has an outer periphery which ts closely within the wall of ledge 1'7. s

The plate is formed with a centrally located access aperture 31 which selectively closed by a lid 32,. On its lower side the plate includes 4integral reinforcing webs 33 and 34 extending parallel to the sides of the lid and having holes therein receiving a shaft 35 which passes through bosses 36, 37, on the lower side of the lid and pivota'lly mounts the lid for upward tilting movement about that shaft. Joining the ends of webs 33 and 34 are transverse webs 38 and 39 having centrally locatedholes therein for receiving the respective plate-anchoring iirst and second plungers 40 and 41, the outer ends of which are to be confined normally in the recesses 22 and 23 of the housing of the service box. In addition a pair of transverse webs 42 and 43 located adjacent the ends of the aperture 31 have holes thereiny for receiving the plungers and the plungers have a round cross section.

Attached to plunger 40 inboard of web 38 is a suitable first abutment member such as a pin 44 and surrounding the plunger between that web and that member is a compression spring 45. Also attached to plunger 40 outboard of web 42 is a second abutment member 46 so located as to permit a lost-motion movement of plunger 40 out of the recess 22 in which it normally is confined. This movement can be effected only after the complete expansion of spring 45 and the deliberate reaching within the access aperture by an operator in order to move plunger 40 to its full extent of inward movement. As will be appreciated, when member 46 contacts web 42 the outward end of plunger 40 is still being confined within web 33. Depending from lid 32 outboard of the axis of shaft 35 is an arrn 47 which engages the inner end of plunger 40.

Axially aligned with the described rst plunger 4i) is the second plunger 41 having a third abutment member 50 attached thereto and adapted to be engaged by a special key 51 such as shown in FIG. 7 and which is selectively insertable in and removable from a special key aperture S2 extending through the cover plate 30. Projecting from the lower side of plate 30 is a pair of webs S3 and 54 shielding the sides of plunger 41 and having abrupt shoulders 55 and S6 against which the abutment member Sti is normally engaged under the bias of a compression spring 57 enveloping the plunger 41 and confined between the web 39 and the abutment member 50. The member 50 preferably comprises an elongated pin which slides in contact with the lower edges of webs 53 and 54 and which thus prevents rotation of plunger 41. Insertion of key S1, having a ferrule 60 thereon which upon contact with the `outer surface of the cover plate locates the Vane 61 of the key at the proper position with respect to the member 59, thus permits the vane of the key to contact one projecting end of member 50 and to move that member and the plunger rearwardly against the bias of the spring 57 when the key is turned and when it is desired -to unlatch the lid 32. As best seen in FIG. 5, the lid includes a downwardly extending arm 63 having a hole therein for receiving the plunger 41 and also the inner end of plunger 41 is beveled as at 64. Accordingly, when access to the `service box assembly is desired, the operator turns the key and as plunger 41 is retracted the lid is unlatched. At this time the spring 4S on the companion plunger 40 comes into play and as plunger 40 moves under the bias of that spring, it pivots the lid upwardly to the position indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 2. The operator then lifts the lid to its full extent in order to `obtain full access to the article enclosed by the housing. The -spring 45 is of a heavy duty type which can pivot the lid even when the lid is sealed to the cover plate by ice or by encrustation of dirt. The spring 57, however, can be of a lighter duty type and as will be apparent, when the operator desires to reclose the lid, all that is required is to step upon the same. As the lid pivots downwardly its arm 63 engages the beveled surface 64 and cams the plunger rearwardly after which spring 57 acts to latch the structure by moving that plunger forwardly into the hole within arm 63.

The cover plate is particularly well adapted to a laborsaving type of installation in the manner as indicate-d by FIG. 3. After having embedded the tile or housing in the ground, the worker merely grasps the cover plate with its lid assembled thereon and with the plunger 4t! moved inwardly to the full extent of its lost-motion movement and then with a swinging movement engages the outer end of plunger 41 in the recess 23. As the cover plate then is slowly lowered, the `outer end of plunger 41 moves farther into recess 23 and the cover plate is permitted to settle into flush contact with ledge 17 of the housing. Thereafter, the worker merely steps on the upwardly tilted lid 32 and plunger 40 is moved into en-gagement with the other recess 22 of that housing, thus to complete the assembly. It will be understood that if at any later time a disassembly is required all that is needed is to raise the lid, kreach inside and pull the plunger 4) to the full extent of its lost-motion, and pivot the cover plate upwardly in reverse order to that above described.

Having thus described and illustrated certain specific embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications may be'rnade therein and it is intended by the appended claims lto cover all such changes and modifications which fall Within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim, is:

1. A tamper-proof service box structure adapted for ready assembly and for ready accessibility to its interior and comprising, an open top service box housing having a top end with generally vertical side walls extending downwardly therefrom, a pair of confronting plateanchoring recesses in opposite side walls adjacent said top end, a cover plate Supported upon said top end and having a centrally located access aperture and a separate key-receiving aperture therein, a lid pivotally mounted upon said plate for selectively opening and closing said access aperture, first and second elongated plungers separately mounted upon the underside of said plate and extending into said recesses, first and second springs associated with the respective plungers and biased to move said plungers toward said lid, said lid having a first downwardly projecting arm engageable with said first plunger and stressing said first spring when said lid is in closed position whereby upon expansion of said first spring following unlatching of said lid an automatic upward pivoting of said lid occurs, said lid having a second downwardly projecting arm engageable with said second plunger and holding said lid in latched and closed position when said second sprin-gis expanded, lfollowing the closing of said lid, and means carried by said second plunger `and engageable with a key inserted through said key-receiving aperture for stressing said second spring and disengaging said second plunger from said second arm whereby said lid may be pivoted. upwardly under the action of said first spring.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said second plunger includes a cam surface at its end engaging said second armv on said lid, said arm on said lid being adapted upon contact with said cam surface to retract said second plunger against the bias of said second spring thereby to permit said pivoted lid to move to closed position by stepping upon the upper surface of the lid.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,087,366 2/1914 Haase 52-20 1,102,422 7/1914 McKeon 94-35 l1,781,280 11/1930 Haase 52-20 2,217,097` 113/1940 Brooks 137-371 JACOB L. NACKENQFF, Primary Examiner, 

1. A TAMPER-PROOF SERVICE BOX STRUCTURE ADAPTED FOR READY ASSEMBLY AND FOR READY ACCESSIBILITY TO ITS INTERIOR AND COMPRISING, AN OPEN TOP SERVICE BOX HOUSING HAVING A TOP END WITH GENERALLY VERTICAL SIDE WALLS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM, A PAIR OF CONFRONTING PLATEANCHORING RECESSES IN OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS ADJACENT SAID TOP END, A COVER PLATE SUPPORTED UPON SAID TOP END AND HAVING A CENTRALLY LOCATED ACCESS APERTURE AND A SEPARATE KEY-RECEIVING APERTURE THEREIN, A LID PIVOTALLY MOUNTED UPON SAID PLATE FOR SELECTIVELY OPENING AND CLOSING SAID ACCESS APERTURE, FIRST AND SECOND ELONGATED PLUNGERS SEPARATELY MOUNTED UPON THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID PLATE AND EXTENDING INTO SAID RECESSES, FIRST AND SECOND SPRINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RESPECTIVE PLUNGERS AND BIASED TO MOVE SAID PLUNGERS TOWARD SAID LID, SAID LID HAVING A FIRST DOWNWARDLY PROJECTING ARM ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID FIRST PLUNGER 